3. Signed

Sophia felt foolish for believing a miracle would happen—that Alex would cherish her the way she had always dreamed.

He wanted a divorce, and as she always had, she would listen to him.

Sitting on the bedroom floor, she let out a shaky breath. He had given her twenty-four hours, but she had no reason to wait. She would leave tonight.

Her fingers trembled as she held onto a piece of paper, tears slipping down her face. It was a letter she had written at eighteen, meant for Alex. She had never found the courage to give it to him.

Their story had begun in high school. She had fallen during P.E., scraping her knee on the field’s rough surface. The memory was as vivid as daylight.

On her way to the infirmary, someone called her name. She turned and saw a boy running toward her. By the time he reached her, he was gasping for breath, hands on his knees as he tried to steady himself.

"Hey," Alex exhaled, then ruffled his hair, offering her a nervous smile. "I saw what happened. I had a novelty bandage in my bag, so I ran to my class to get it. I hope you don’t mind."

Before she could decline, he crouched down and carefully pressed the bandage over her wound. His hands trembled slightly, as if nervous.

Sophia had been stunned. Everyone at school knew who Alexander Carter was… popular, admired, always surrounded by people. But here he was, kneeling before her, tending to a simple scrape.

When he stood, he met her gaze with those pale green eyes. "I'm Alexander Carter. But you can just call me Alex."

"I’m Sophia," She replied, smiling despite the pain in her knee.

And in that moment, her heart fluttered.

Maybe it had been teenage infatuation, but his small gesture had made her so happy. From that day on, he brought her the same type of bandage daily, replacing the old one. Soon, he began bringing her snacks from the cafeteria, even though she never asked.

Their bond deepened, and Sophia had hoped it meant something more. It was during that time she had written her first love letter. But she never gave it to him.

Their story was sweet.

Until everything changed.

After high school, Alex went to university, and the distance between them grew. At first, he answered her calls. But by his second year, he stopped.

Meanwhile, Sophia started college later than him, with a five-year medical program. Alex had already graduated two years before her.

It was in her fourth year, her father arranged her marriage—to his friend's son. The decision was abrupt, with no explanation, but when she learned who she was to marry, she had agreed without hesitation.

A tear slipped down her cheek as she read the words of her eighteen-year-old self. The letter was filled with innocent hope, a girl’s heart laid bare for a boy who would never read it.

Unable to finish, she stood, brushing her tangled hair out of her tear-streaked face. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Red-rimmed eyes, exhaustion etched into every feature.

Reaching for her suitcase, she rolled it toward the door. As she reached for the handle, she attempted to slip the letter into her bag. But in her distraction, it slipped from her fingers, falling unnoticed to the floor.

Alex had always been her first choice. But to him, she had never been enough.

A bitter chuckle escaped her lips as she stepped out of the bedroom. This had never been her home, just a place where she existed. He had let her sleep here while he stayed in the room across the hall.

With each step, her heart fractured a little more.

In the dining room, she pulled a pen from her bag and opened the file on the table. Her fingers trembled as she signed the divorce papers without bothering to read the fine print.

Sophia pressed the pen to the last page, right beside Alex’s name. That was when her gaze caught the section on alimony.

A humorless smile curled her lips. "If money is your way of making me feel okay, keep it to yourself," She murmured.

She didn’t need his alimony. She hadn’t signed these papers with tears in her eyes. She had signed them with the understanding that this was it.

He wanted this. She was giving it to him.

Tears wouldn’t change anything.

They wouldn’t make Alex reconsider.

And they wouldn’t make him love her.

Someone out there had orchestrated this, planted the seed of doubt in Alex’s mind. Finn was her friend, nothing more. But the photos Alex mentioned… Someone had set her up.

And yet, none of it mattered anymore. Why? simply 'cause he chose not to see through her reasoning or listen to her words.

Alex Carter was no longer her concern.

Sophia had signed the papers. She had accepted that he didn’t care for her, that he never had, and never would.

When she stepped outside, the rain had stopped. The air was cold, the night quiet. A car idled in the driveway, and the driver stepped out as she approached.

"Young Madam," Eric, the chauffeur, said cautiously. "Are you going somewhere? I was instructed to take you to your parents’ home in the morning, not tonight."

Sophia gave him a small, tired smile. "Alex said that?"

Eric hesitated before nodding.

"Don't worry, I can drive myself," she said.

The older man frowned, glancing between her suitcase and the house. He had always been aware of the strain in their marriage.

Still, he helped her load her bags into her car, trying one last time to convince her to wait until morning.

She refused.

Settling into the driver’s seat, she gripped the steering wheel, taking a slow breath.

A few minutes later, she drove away, hoping and praying that she could leave behind everything she felt for Alex.

But some things weren’t so easily forgotten.